The little gem of a park is not near Wisconsin Dells or Eau Claire. The park, about 15 miles east of Wausau in Marathon County, gets its name from the Eau Claire River (one of three in Wisconsin) that cuts through a dramatic gorge, or dells, from the French word dalles, which means narrows or gorge.

If you're in the Wausau area, it's well worth a detour outside of town to hike this picturesque county park. When I visited on a weekday in early summer, I had the trails and views of the Dells all to myself — a rarity for such a beautiful geological feature, and a perk you won't have at similar spots like Interstate State Park or Devil's Lake.

The park features a segment of the Ice Age Trail, which parallels the river for about 2.5 miles, along with a handful of other trails that wind through woods dotted with hemlock, sugar maple, yellow birch and ash.

The highlight of the park is of course the gorge, where walls of red-gray rhyolite schist, a hard volcanic rock, rise up to 40 feet along the Eau Claire River. The river tumbles over and around the rocks in a series of small waterfalls and pools.

The rocks in this scenic gorge date back 1.8 billion years. Geological forces pushed the rocks into vertical formations in some places, while glacial meltwater carved the gorge and polished it. Swirling eddies of sand and gravel carved small potholes, circular depressions in the rock.

For a relatively easy loop hike, start at the parking area near the beach. A dam just downstream creates a small impoundment for swimming in the summer.

Follow the Ice Age Trail along the north bank of the river and cross County Highway Y. The beautiful stone bridge here was built in 1927. Other buildings, trails and a bridge in the park were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the late 1930s, which helped the park earn a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

From the bridge, continue following the Ice Age Trail to an overlook of the Dells. A sign here warns swimmers of "rocks — undercurrent deadly."

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Blocky cliffs line the Eau Claire River in the Dells of the Eau Claire Park in Marathon County east of Wausau. (Photo: Chelsey Lewis/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Historical and modern photos reveal swimmers largely ignoring the warning signs and jumping into the river from the rocks, but looking at the jagged cliffs and dark, churning water, I couldn't imagine taking such a risk.

It's possible to climb on some of the rocks for an up-close view of the gorge, but hike with caution — the smooth rocks are made even slicker by water.

West of the gorge, the Ice Age Trail crosses the river via a small footbridge, then continues west along the southern bank.

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The Dells of the Eau Claire River is a scenic state natural area and county park east of Wausau.(Photo: Chelsey Lewis / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Here you can continue following the Ice Age Trail, hike farther into the forest to the south, or loop back east to the parking lot via the South River Trail for about a mile round-trip hike.

The trail is a relatively easy, but does include some rocky sections including stairs.

The county-owned park is not open to hunting, so it's a good spot for hiking in the fall and winter when hunters take to other trails and parks around the state.

More information: In addition to parking near the beach within the park, there's also a small parking lot south of the river on the west side of County Highway Y.

The 190-acre county park has a 28-site rustic campground (no showers or flush restrooms; open seasonally May 1 through Oct. 31).

Getting there: Dells of the Eau Claire Park is at P2150 County Highway Y, Aniwa, about 180 miles north of Milwaukee via I-41, Highway 45 and Highway 52.